Working on a cruise ship can be an exciting opportunity, offering unforgettable experiences to both crew members and passengers. However, it's crucial to understand that the cruise industry's employment landscape comes with unique challenges and strict protocols that can lead to contract termination for crew members. Various factors can contribute to this outcome, and navigating the intricacies of cruise line policies and procedures is paramount for job security.

One of the most critical aspects that cruise lines prioritize is maintaining a safe and harmonious environment onboard. Consequently, any form of violent conduct or theft is often met with zero tolerance, warranting immediate dismissal. Cruise companies typically have stringent rules in place to safeguard both passengers and crew members.

The alcohol policy is another critical element, and cruise lines enforce strict limitations on alcohol consumption for crew members. With an allowable alcohol tolerance of 0.08, equivalent to two beers or one glass of wine, crew members must adhere to these guidelines while on board, whether on or off duty. Violating this policy can lead to termination, although cases of inconsistent enforcement have been reported, raising concerns about potential biases in decision-making.

I witnessed that some crew members got terminated just for having a 0.08 on the alcohol test, which is equivalent to one glass of wine with dinner. It's all about the politics on the cruise ship; the same rules would be applied in many different ways, depending on the title, rank, and position of the crew members involved in any policy-breaking situation. The same rules are often applied in totally opposite, biased, and unfair ways. For that reason, if you work on a cruise ship, you must learn how to stay away from trouble and keep your job safe by thinking one step forward at all times. Like any employee, crew members are not immune from being terminated. 

Termination on a cruise ship is slightly different from being fired at a regular job. It's like being fired and kicked out of your apartment simultaneously.

Better known as the "6 am knock," crew members wake up to the ship's security officers banging at their cabin door and delivering the news that the crew member must leave the vessel immediately.

Within about an hour, the terminated crew member must gather all his or her belongings, hand in the ship cards, pay off any shipboard debts, and walk off the gangway. In most cases, the crew member is not given any explanation as to why she is being instructed to leave. A meeting needs to be set up with their superiors or the captain to discuss the grounds for termination. Worst of all, the fired crew member doesn't even know their legal rights in this situation (assuming there are any rights at all).

Once a crew member leaves, the cruise line finds a way to dispose of the problem immediately.

Alcohol and drug tests are a good tool cruise lines use to make a case to fire a crew member. Most cruise lines have an alcohol and drug policy that allows them to conduct random tests. Security knocks on the crew member's door and hands the employee a plastic bottle for urine testing.

This is all done while the security officers wait outside the bathroom located in the crew member's cabin. If this isn't invasive enough, the bathroom door must remain open just a crack to ensure the crew member doesn't taint the sample.

Interestingly, the results of these tests are never given to the crew member. It is unclear where the sample goes once handed to the security officers. I have also spoken to several other terminated crew members whose stories are on par with my experience. For example, one of my good friends was fired just for an inappropriate joke with a passenger, but at the same contract, I witnessed some of the ship officers kissing the passengers in the nightclub in front of the eyes of security officers. Yet, it did not lead to contract termination for that serious misconduct and breaking the company policy because those officers were good friends of the captain. Crew ship working environment is most of the time unfair and driven by the biased perspectives of the people from senior management levels.

On any given night, a hundred crew members could fail an alcohol test. Still, the tests are often reserved for those vocal in criticizing procedures or complaining about sexual harassment or unlawful conduct.

What happens once the crew member walks off the gangway?

Cruise lines tend to terminate a crew member when the ship is docked in a non-U.S. port. Although the flight is arranged and paid for by the cruise line, the crew member is rushed off the ship and sometimes has to board the flight in less than 2 hours. Once the crew member is off the gangway, they are no longer the cruise line's responsibility. If the crew member misses her flight, she has to pay out-of-pocket for a new ticket.

Employment on cruise ships is considered "at will" employment, meaning at the employer's will. There is a saying in the cruise industry that a crew member can be terminated for good cause, bad cause, or no cause. Maritime legal rights are virtually nonexistent when the crew member is terminated.

Cruise lines don't like problems. They don't want crew members who will "make waves." When a crew member is labeled a "problem," they can expect a knock on the door around 6:00 am. I had several roommates who had got terminated from the cruise ship without even having a clue about the termination reasons. If your manager decides to terminate your contract in the middle of the cruise, you will only find out about that at 6 am when the ship arrives back in the home port.

However, some cruise lines are taking care of their employees, trying to avoid a high percentage of turnover. Good, hard-working crew members are hard to find and keep; some companies know how to value that. The turnover in the cruise ship industry has to be controlled wisely, as that helps the cruise lines keep the lower cost and build mutual, long-lasting relationships with the hard-working crew.